Alma 29:9

"I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yeah, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy."

Alma 29:9

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

The Rains came down......

My dearest family,

Wow, what an adventurous week! Being in a trio and covering two areas was no piece of cake, BUT WE DID IT!! And honestly, having Sister Crisp in our trio was so fantastic. I love her to death.

Also, transfer news. I'm staying in Beaver with Sister Morgan!! Haha, surprise surprise! 😉 Elder Pennington is leaving to head to York to be a zone leader, and we are getting Elder Cook. GUYS. This is the same Elder Cook from Vernal, Utah, the one who was in Robert and Joanne's ward!! Can you say SMALL WORLD? It's so crazy.

So we had an awesome lesson with Erin this week! Surprise, surprise 😉but really. She is doing so well!! We taught her the Restoration and she said it gave her so much hope. It also answered her question why there are so many churches when we all believe in the same God. She hasn't really been reading the Book of Mormon, so Sister Morgan felt inspired to promise her that she would have the energy to do everything she needs to. She agreed that she could do that! Then, Sister Morgan and I had prayed about a baptismal date for her, and we got to extend it when we saw her. We asked her if she would prepare herself to be baptized on July 23rd, and she accepted!!!! She was just beaming, it was amazing. One of the happiest moments of my mission, by far. She is incredible and so prepared. I can't wait to see her take these steps to follow her Savior into the waters of baptism and then progress towards the temple. I literally can't wait.

On Thursday, we were in the Pitt 4th area (Bellevue/Avalon aka Pittsburgh-ish). And then down came the rain. Wow, it was quite a downpour. Still warm and humid, but a downpour nonetheless. Needless to say, we got pretty wet (see picture below). But Sister Crisp reassured Sister Morgan and I that the more raindrops on our nametags, the more attractive our future husbands are going to be...😉😂#sistermissionarymyths #blessourhearts

Kay, and when we were in their area on Saturday, MIRACLES. So a little bit of background, their bishop is Bishop Chris Hoke who used to play for the Steeler's (UH, SO COOL). He gives the missionaries names of people each week to go and find and visit. We were trying to find a less-active and ended up meeting a potential investigator, and gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon. He was really excited about Moroni's promise (we were committed by the AP's to use Moroni's promise when we hand out copies of the Book of Mormon, so we've been striving to do that) and agreed to let the sisters come back. Later we met Judy, a referral from a less-active member, and she was so cute and so excited about the Book of Mormon! Oh man, it was so amazing. Testifying of the Book of Mormon to complete strangers is like one of the coolest feelings in the world. The exhilaration!

Thursday evening we got to take part in a relief society activity putting together kits for the refugees as part of the "I was a stranger" initiative. It was really neat! They talked about how we are His hands...I firmly believe that. I'm coming to see it and know it as I am serving my mission. I know that He places us where we are to meet certain people to help them, to serve them, and bring them closer to Him. What a privilege it is to be His hands.

I absolutely love being a missionary. It is the most amazing experience I have ever been blessed with and I truly never want it to stop. Despite all the heartaches, the hard days, the magnified weaknesses in myself, the tested patience again and again...somehow, in some miraculous way, it is all worth it. The joy I get to feel as I help these people is indescribable.

I know without a doubt this is Christ's church. No doubt about it. He stands at the head and leads and guides us through our living prophet, Thomas S. Monson. I know the Book of Mormon is the very word of God, and studying it daily is absolutely necessary for an enduring conversion. It all must be true, otherwise they wouldn't let a bunch of 18-20-something young men and women go around to world to share it with people. 😉 I'm amazed how much trust is placed in us as missionaries. I know this message is true!! I also know it is a message of light, happiness, healing, and hope. It has the power to change your life if you let it.